Saturday, August 24, 2019

Binion’s Horseshoe signage contained 8 miles of neon tubing and 30,000 light bulbs when it was installed in 1961 (Neon Museum)

Twitpic of the week

Have you ever had a metaphor scream at you the moment you saw a picture? Get ready for that experience. @classiclasvegas shared a picture of, not only a monumental time in Vegas history, but also a passing of the guard. Showcased in black and white, add further depth to the allegory, this view of the Mirage, under construction, signals that everything is about to change, radically, in Las Vegas. Captured off strip, the photo showcases the Sands Cylindrical tower in the foreground. In the background, the scope of the Mirage project is so great, it seems to engulf the Sands, as if to say, I am the future, prepare for obsoletion. What was once identified as a Vegas icon looks dated and quant in this picture as evolution happens right across the street.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Reflections. As soon as they were established as a thing, writers have mused at great length about the duality of its literal and metaphorical meanings. Reflections are distortions of the truth and yet one of the most significant ways we grow as humans. Reflections of Las Vegas remind us to never forget to cherish the moments we have while enjoying this great city. As dreamlike as it may appear or feel, it is a very real place and we are fortunate it was created for us. One of the few gateways to enjoy the world beyond the looking glass, captured brilliantly, once again, by @rtphotos_

Saturday, August 10, 2019

In casinos, an employee in charge of scheduling dealers and has the power to write comps is sometimes referred to as “The Pencil” (@VitalVegas)

Twitpic of the week

The themed resort. A concept to set a property apart from the pack and designed to offer an unforgettable experience. Outside of Disney, few other vacation destinations offer you the convenience of being transported to another place and/or time, until you’ve had enough of that place and want to either come back to reality or try on another experience. The dethemeing of Las Vegas was an attempt to find a balance between tacky and gentrification, the Blanding of concepts by those who lack the imagination to embracing and/or understand what people want, even if you don’t get it. Make no mistake, themed resorts are what brought the masses to Las Vegas, setting new annual visitation records and in turn inspiring one of the largest building booms in the city’s history, Thankfully we have the opportunity to fondly recall those days with the visual representation of what we’ve lost, shared by @classiclasvegas

Saturday, August 3, 2019

The exterior sign for the Moulin Rouge Hotel was designed by Betty Willis, creator of the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” Sign on the south strip (sincitytalk.com)

Twitpic of the week

And you thought snow was pretty where you live. Thank you @rtphotos_ for capturing this magic moment for future generations to discover and fall in love with. It’s so good it doesn’t look real; snow basking in the glow of the strip at night, making it difficult to ascertain what is frozen precipitation and what are stars in the night sky. Being a part of this vision must have be like strolling through a dream. Until you attempt to do something inspired by the illusion you are in a consequence free situation and permanently scar yourself. An experience I’m certain is totally worth it.

Saturday, July 27, 2019

When receiving tips from players, the reason so many casino dealers often loudly thank the player is to encourage other players around them to do the same. Tips account for 75-85% dealer income (@vitalVegas)

Twitpic of the week

O’ Stardust, how we miss the. Even though your final incarnation barred no resemblance to your past, shared this week by @WisconsinSports6, it still somehow managed to capture the spirt that was breathed into life in 1955. Stardust shares the honor of being one of a few properties to successfully evolve themselves into something that bares little to no resemblance to their original incarnation on the strip, to keep up with the Super Casino revolution. Flamingo is the other notable name; an argument can be made for the Frontier. Properties like Riviera, Caesars and Sahara expanded into grown up versions of themselves, but Stardust and the Flamingo piece-mailed their evolution until all that was old was replaced with the new. It can be stated, with no exaggeration, that the closing of the Stardust was the single largest mistaken made in Vegas strip history; or at the very least the biggest mistake in Boyd Gaming history.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

The 56 room Desert Rose Motel existed on the Las Vegas strip from 1953-1995. Why do we care about a motel without a casino attached to it, because in 1995, it was razed to the ground to make way for the Monte Carlo, known today as Park MGM (Neon Museum)

Twitpic of the week

Awe, I wanna stand on top of Luxor. Sincerely, here is a blank check. Write whatever number is required to allow me to have this experience. Depending on the amount you write, you may or may not want to even bother attempting to cash that though. Aside from the experience, here we get to see a time when properties would use a large real estate on vast parking lots. Still fascinates me. Thankfully they’ve learned to better utilize their space and abandon the mall parking lot concept. Some better than others. Once again shared by @summacorp, photo by Galen Rowell, captures a moment in time more valuable than 95% of every picture any of us have ever taken.

Saturday, July 13, 2019

The Golden Nugget opened on Fremont St in 1946. The signage best known for its appearance in the James Bond film Diamonds are Forever as well as the signage on display when Steve Wynn initially took over the property in 1973, featured a glittering nugget of gold with the date 1905 above it. That date is the year the city of Las Vegas was born. Specifically, May 15th, 190, coincidentally, the same date as my birthday. (Neon Museum)

Twitpic of the week

Look at those cars. Look at those colors. @TonyIllia’s picture this week seems to capture downtown Las Vegas like a fuckin oil painting, exaggerating the reality of the time. But it isn’t an exaggeration. This is a fuckin picture, simply capturing the awe-inspiring site that was downtown Las Vegas in the late 1950s. I find it apropos that this photo was shared at this time while we continue work on our next large scale 360 Vintage Vegas project, the evolution of Fremont St. Not only that, it features the Nevada Club, the one first casinos on Fremont to absorb its next-door neighbor so it could expand its footprint, merging 113 and 117 Fremont St.

Saturday, July 6, 2019

I never liked the Frontier. I didn’t like the theme, thought the place was gross and was indifferent to the signage. I understood why other people liked it because I kind of liked O’Shea’s and it was a shithole. But honestly, I was happy to see it go. Then perspective set in while I continue to try and learn everything I can about the city that changed my life. And even though the Frontier was nothing more than an attempt to copy the El Rancho but make it better in every way, the fact is…they accomplished it. Think about it, Walt Disney didn’t invent amusement parks, he just found a way to do it better than everyone else. Also, this show was created in the same vain. In 2011, when I was just a fan of Las Vegas like all of you listening and looking for podcasts to listen to about it, I couldn’t help but think of all the things I wish the shows I enjoyed would do. Not being the kind of person to tell someone else how they should produce their creative outlet, that desire for more evolved into the 360 Vegas Podcast. All that said, it still doesn’t change my feelings about the Frontier, but now I respect it and it’s place in the city’s history. Thank you @classiclasvegasfor helping to guide that revelation

Saturday, June 29, 2019

May advertising, a Las Vegas ad agency, created 250 logos for the Union Plaza (now plaza) before one was approved (@vitalvegas)

Twitpic of the week

The monologue for this week’s winner will be unique in that it gives me a chance to share some insight into what goes into Vintage Vegas research, or maybe its just a fun fact with impeccable timing. I’m currently working on a large project to document the evolution of Fremont and the people who played a part in it. Recently, my research has led me to a connection to the owners of the various casinos that used to exist in the place known today as the Bonanza, the World's Largest Gift Shop, on the north west corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Sahara. Almost as if they knew I was going to need it, @NeonMuseumshared a picture of two of the casinos that existed at that location for a time, MoneyTree and Honest John’s Casinos. As previously state, research is ongoing, so that’s all I can tell you about those two casinos. What I learn will be shared in a future Vintage Vegas episode

Saturday, June 22, 2019

The Hacienda Hotel & Casino was one of a chain of 4 properties each featuring a distinctive horse and rider sign. The other 3 locations were in California. (Neon Museum)

Twitpic of the week

It’s so Vegas it's kind of annoying while simultaneously being sexy as hell. If LED signage is eye-catching, what does one 30 stories tall do. @Palms hopes it draws people to the off-strip property that kicked off the nightclub revolution in the city only to eventually be outdone by their strip counterparts. Returning to the well is a risky proposition but how else do you recommend they reclaim their place in the market? But when renovation costs exceed that of some newer projects, is there any chance they can recoup their investment? Time will tell.

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Since it opened in 1941, despite multiple expansions and renovations, the property has never changed it exterior façade. On Feb 22, 2013, the El Cortez, the original hotel/casino built on Fremont St, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Twitpic of the week

Metaphor, oh how I love the. Unless the architect for the property’s marquee signage was Nostradamus, there is no way they could have known how the landscape of the Vegas valley would evolve over the years. Regardless, when the El Cortez opened in 1941, its marquee design would essentially direct your attention to the future of the city on Highway 91, a POV we had the opportunity to enjoy for the first during 360VV8. Then again, maybe they did see what lay just beyond the horizon. After all, 1941 was also the year that the El Rancho, Las Vegas Blvd’s first proper hotel/casino, would open. An event that signaled the rise of what would later be known as the Strip. A nickname coined by another Vegas pioneer and former LA Police officer Guy McAfee, inspired by the famous California Sunset Strip. If that name rings a bell for another reason, it may be because McAfee built the Golden Nugget and co-founded the city of Paradise Nevada so casino owners on the strip could avoid paying taxes to the city of Las Vegas by establishing themselves outside of the Las Vegas city limits.

Saturday, May 25, 2019

Luxor changed my life. It can be credited as the property that brought me to Vegas for the first time with a theme that made me say "I have to go see that". The inspiration for this show, my love for just about all things involving the city including becoming a student of it's history can all be traced back to this property. While it’s true, over the years, I’ve not spent a lot of time at Luxor. In fact, I haven’t stayed at the property since my first trip. I can still say with no exaggeration that I love Luxor. This is the story of the 1stpyramid built in the desert in over 6,000 years.For more information on Luxor, Bill Bennett and Mandalay Resorts, check out

Saturday, May 18, 2019

When bill acceptors were added to slot machines in the '90s, it generated a 30% increase in the amount of money played. (@VitalVegas via Natasha Dow Schull)

Twitpic of the week

The story of Rio is a tragic tale. When it opened, it was a monster success, pioneering the move to fine dining and celebrity chefs. 3 years after opening in 1990, the property was so popular that it built and opened a 20-story expansion tower, showcased this week by @LuckysLasVegas. In 1997, at a cost of about $200 million dollars, it unveiled the “Masquerade in the Sky” show. When Harrah’s Entertainment decided to relocate their corporate headquarters from Memphis TN to Las Vegas in the late 90s, they didn’t feel they owned a property that was worthy to setup operations in. So they purchased the Rio in 1999 for $888 million and established it as their corporate headquarters. And so began its downfall. Years later, after all the celebrity chefs left, CEO at the time Gary Loveman would admit that they made the mistake of thinking they could run Rio with the same way they run Harrah’s. Despite making Rio the home of their prized acquisition, the World Series of Poker, the property has noticeably not received any of the renovation love that has been given out to all its sister properties. While Rio has been at the middle of many sale rumors, the latest claiming it will be demolished so a baseball stadium can be built on the land would not only be its final indignity, it would be its most egregious. The irony isn’t lost on me that a sport infamous for its many cheating scandals wants to move to a city that originally identified the importance of insuring that the games had to be fair to the player only to recently adopted the practice of hidden fees.

Saturday, May 11, 2019

The NYNY skyline is a collage of 12 NY skyscrapers approximately one-third the size of the originals with a 150-foot-tall Statue of Liberty (super casino)

Twitpic of the week

It’s fascinating to me that @Cosmopolitan_LV does more with 4.4 acres of land than City Center is able to do with 19 time that real estate. Don’t get me wrong, the City Center campus is attractive. It’s just, who really wants to vacation in an office park on the strip. I know that sounds like a knock but it isn’t intended to be in this case. It’s more a testament to how special the minds who think up such concepts are. As critical as I can be towards some of the decisions made by the people running the casinos I love, I always try to keep in mind before voicing that opinion, especially a negative opinion, is could I do any better. And the answer is no. Then again, that’s not my job. I’ve never claimed to know how to build a better resort. I make a point to stay in my lane and share insight I feel I can offer educated commentary on. Speaking of, let me give a little insight into what’s going on today in Vegas. Vegas has historically been recession proof, or at least virtually. After feeling the impact of the Great Recession, everything, including long standing established protocol, is under scrutiny by industry leadership. History shows us that Vegas may be the first company to follow the software development philosophy known as Agile. A practice that gives businesses the ability to try out new concepts while still giving them the freedom to pivot from the original plan when market feedback does not respond favorably. Today, we are at that juncture. Just like the patience one needs to exhibit when telling a child not to do something for the millionth time, now is the time to stay resolute because the hardest thing for a company to explain to shareholders is eliminating a source of revenue for the betterment of the company. Keep complaining about resort fees, paid parking and CNF charges. Reward companies like Wynn and TI who are beginning to eliminating such fees with your patronage. Support them for pioneering the change back to a Vegas that can be experienced by all income demographics.

Saturday, May 4, 2019

The La Concha Motel lobby was designed in 1961 by Paul Revere Williams, the first African American elected Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. To this day it is considered one of the best preserved examples of 1950s googie architecture, a style featuring upswept roofs, curvaceous geometric shapes and its use of neon. The La Concha lobby is now the Neon Museum's visitors' center (Neon Museum & Research)

Twitpic of the week

It’s quite simply one of the best marquees that has existed in Vegas history. A truly mesmerizing sign whose presence was not only grand but glorious. Shared this week by @summacorp aka vintageLasVegas on instagram, this whole style of architecture resonates with me in an unexplainable way. I find the swooping curves breathtaking, get lost in the sparkle of the lettering and could spend hours watching the lights cascade back and forth. It’s a special thing when signage becomes iconic. While I like that owners of the small dive casino bar west of Lucky Dragon have resurrected the name and installed a smaller version of this marquee, make no mistake, the Mint has not returned. That being said, here’s hoping that this is the start of a new era in Vegas where unforgettable brands return to the landscape.

Saturday, April 27, 2019

In the Fall of 94, Martin Scorsese began filming the movie Casino in Las Vegas. Bob Stupak was cast in a non-speaking role for the movie. At one point, he approached the director and asked for a larger role with lines. When his request was declined, he demanded a speaking role. His demand caused his part in the movie to be recast. Bob would later joke "I guess I overplayed my hand" (No Limit)

Twitpic of the week

I will forever be torn by my affection for the Fremont St Experience canopy and my love of what downtown looked like without it. I dream of the day when it evolves into something of a transformer; retracting itself in between shows at night revealing the glory that is neon signage bouncing off a sky background. Oh, or have all the hotel towers facing Fremont St cover themselves in LED like the side of Palms instead of having a canopy. Oh, if not that, how great would it be if the first commercial use of a time machine was so you could visit the various eras of downtown Las Vegas. So many things I’d love to see. The Sundance in the early 80s, an operational Vegas Vic and Vegas Vicki and possibly the greatest exterior incarnation of the Golden Nugget, with the bullnose corners, after it first took over the entire block between 1st and Casino Center Blvd. I dream of seeing the best use of neon in history, the Mint marquee, and even though it replaced said beloved marquee, see Binion’s version of the bullnose corner, shared this week by @Summacorp. If only we all looked this good in old pictures.

Saturday, April 20, 2019

In 2007, the Brand Ranking survey saw Las Vegas rise to America’s number two brand, behind only google (The Strip – Las Vegas and the Architecture of the American Dream)

Twitpic of the week

Glorious is one way to describe the Galaxy Bar at Vegas World. Vegas as fuck is another. Say what you will about Bob Stupak, he got it right with this amenity. Potentially inspired by what I can only imagine every brothel in Pahrump looks like inside, the use a mirrored ceiling to capture the reflection of the light feature creates the illusion of infinity. Trapped in tacky you say? We should all be so lucky. That being said, I can’t help but think everything you see in the picture shared by @summacorp is sticky.

An Arthurian representation of wealth housing a den of vice for those who are not wealthy. An icon of the Vegas strip that declares without saying a word that there is something for everyone in the city to enjoy. Selected this week, not only for the view it shared but the joke attached to it. @Bluestorm2000‘s cleaver wordplay delivered with a regal accent that would make the queen proud somehow permeates even via text. Apropos considering the inspiration for the concept. The longer I live Vegas the more I feel the responsibility to find out the great answers mankind has sought after, like what is in that center tower? Is it office buildings? Is it storage? What kind of storage? You know, the hard-hitting sort of journalism that changes the world. If you're thinking to yourself, “What was the joke attached to the picture?” I guess you’re just gonna have to go to twitter yourself and see.

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Before Vegas World was done with construction, Bob was approached by the Nevada Culinary Union who attempted to pressure him to hired dues paying members. When he wouldn't do as they requested, they began to picket the property. In response, Bob organized the Vegas World staff and had them picket the union with signs proclaiming their practices were unfair. At one point, Bob offered to resolve the matter and sign the union contract if the organizers could beat his carnival trained roosters at tick-tac-toe. Eventually the Union was ordered to stop their illegal protest in front of the property in 1980 (No Limit)

Twitpic of the week

I think this is the appeal of Lonnie Hammargren’s houses, a pile of things you can’t help but wonder “How the hell did this all get here?”. Not just how did this physically get here but what’s the story? Because there is no way there isn’t a story behind how this came to be here from wherever it came from. Unlike Lonnie’s house, the Neon Museum keeps things that have a million different stories of memorable moments and legendary hot streaks, depending on the person telling the story. While they may all have a memorable tone they are intimately unique. Perhaps more than any time in the recorded history of the adage “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” has the retort, “Who the hell thinks any of this is trash” ever been more apropos. You can thank @arivetinglife for inspiring the recognition this moment.

Saturday, March 16, 2019

In 2002, Stratosphere owners proposed a roller coaster attraction that would depart from the base of the pod, drop passengers to the ground at a top speed of 93mps before curving at the bottom into a misshapen "U" track that would cross Las Vegas Blvd. The project was blocked by residents claiming it would not only be a distraction for traffic but would undermine plans to revitalize the area by discourage new residents from moving in. Almost 20 years later, the revitalization plans have yet to materialize (No Limit)

Twitpic of the week

This week I realized I will not be able to get a helicopter pilots license; because there is a 100% chance that I’ll be too distracted enjoying views like the one shared this week by @MaverickHeli and die in a fiery crash. That being said, what a way to go. If I could only guarantee that I’d crash into a remote area so I was the only one hurt. But again, I can’t, because I’d be too distracted looking at views like the one shared this week by @MaverickHeli. Something else this picture forces me to realize is I need to work on my patience so I can take a Helicopter ride over Vegas, or many of them. Or maybe not so I can continue to be captivated every time someone shares a unique view. Shit, now I have dueling patience issues.